Building @ Harcrest, Wantirna South

Speaking about driveway, I notice almost all the finished homes in Cerise Street are NOT charcoal.

After speaking with the Sales dudes, they pulled out the design guidelines again. Referring to Layout Control number 5, it says that colour chosen must be "complement to the home" or charcoal.

What constitutes "complement to the home" is a mystery to me.

Additionally, the dude said a number of people blatantly disregarded the layout guidelines (ie: one house in red bricks he used as example) and for that, the owner is not going to get his bond money back.

Hi neighbors,

Our construction is moving quick. we're lot 21 so if you do see me hanging around one evening, do come say hello. I usually come by every couple of days after work on the way home - sort of become a ritual now

Our frame is up, downstairs only at this point but I expect it will be fully up by Easter and hopefully the roof not too long after. I'm also keen to get a pricing on the driveway concreting but also on the sides of the house - was it Twakky that did it? I can't recall...there is a reasonable amount of space on both sides of the house so concreting it will make that area a lot more usable..

We have been quoted an $4300 for the driveway and path to the door (based on 46.5m) but i suspect there is some margin built into that and I'm hoping I can get cheaper by shopping around.. does anyone know an approximate per metre cost for exposed aggregrate?

Its great to see Harcrest taking shape especially the park and the shops seem to be coming along quick too... we expect to move in close to September/October but lets see how the progress goes. I certainly don't want to rush them.

Cheers!

Hi aasz1978,

Before you get your driveway done, send your proposed exposed aggregate colour/pattern to Mirvac. If say yes that is fine, then you will be safe to proceed with that colour. That is what we did. I can confirm Bruno's comments that charcoal is if you go for coloured concrete. Not sure why version of the guidelines are out, but the one I have states 'driveway paving must be finished in charcoal coloured concrete, exposed aggregate or pavers'

Hope that helps

Sam

Thanks Tramsok,

I think I better get my quote very soon but for those of you who are still looking and a Porter Davis client, check your PD Rewards page and you will find Boral is now providing expose aggregate products at 10% discount...

I don't know how useful or how material the savings are but I thought it may worth mentioning here.

Cheers

Zzz

Hi guys,

If anyone is after a fencing company try Andy - 0430 945 667. He is local in Wantirna.

Hope this help

Hi All,

We have just moved into the estate and wondering what everyone is doing about home phone and internet?

I heard NBN won't be ready till mid year. However, I'm hoping ADSL 2+ can be setup in the meantime...

Any information you guys provide will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Adam

NBN won't be available till at least June 2012 says my NBN specialist.

In the meantime, Mirvac is reimbursing $100 for connection fee and $50 every month of Prepaid Wireless Internet.

What "connection fee" actually means is a mystery to me. I assume the cost of 4G or 3G dongle (At Telstra, they are $129 and $79 respectively) is what they meant by connection fee.

At $50 per month, you will get at worst 3Gb every month. What 3Gb will get you is something up for another day's debate.

Please note Mirvac is only reimbursing WHEN and ONLY WHEN the NBN is up and running. This means you must pay first and keep receipt till NBN is up (cash flow implication).

The stuff ups are keep piling up....

Hi all, If we use ADSL 2+ or any other service, any idea whether we get to keep our existing landline number?

My understanding is that because NBN is being rolled out in Harcrest, therefore you won't have any copper service. As such, you cannot use ADSL2+. This is why Mirvac is handing out reimbursements for current residents who are short without any broadband services while NBN is being rolled out.

The only alternative is really the USB Wireless Internet. With the $50 compensation, that will buy you at worst 3Gb.

And since you can't have ADSL2+, you can't have copper-based telephone services, which means new numbers most likely.

Your only hope is VOIP.

Hello Neighbours,

We're in a bit of situation and would love some feedback if anyone had similar issues. Apparently due to the retaining wall at the front of the property, our plumber cannot access the existing SE water connection and we've been told to apply to SE water for plugging and retapping. There is a significant cost associated with this. Has anyone had to move their water point due to similar issues. Any information would be greatly appreciated - Any plumbers out there, any similar experiences you have faced in the past and what was the resolution?

Thanks in advance

Hi guys

just wondering if any of you have had quotes for fences? Any info would be great!

Hi Everyone! We are new to the forum! Just secured our plot at Harcrest and are looking at potential builders! Any advice to follow?
We are particularly concerned about the site costs?
Thank you

Hi there and welcome to the forum. And Congratulations on securing your lot. Are you in stage 3? Have you already settled on the land as yet?

There's a lot of advice and experiences on this forum so its best you go through each of the posts to identify common issues us lot owners have been facing - site costs, design guidelines, colour selections and so forth. That will prepare you for what's coming and ask the right questions to your builder.

I have to say the majority of the process has been very pleasant and I found the developer to be approachable - though sometimes constant followup is required.

Re site costs, there is no conclusive way to figure that out - a few variables come into play, the builder, the soil classification and the slab etc. You builder will do a soil test once you pay the initial deposit but they can only do so once the land is settled. The developer will also provide you with an engineers report but the builders will want to do their test anyway as they provide the structural warranty.

I'd say about $25K is what you can reasonably estimate as site costs - though some people may have paid significantly lesser and I hope that is the case for you.

Again, good to have another neighbour on the forum!

Thanks for your reply Arun. We have just selected lot 88 which is a single story only and working to sign off the building contract before June 30th. We are hoping, fingers crossed, we will be in by christmas!
I read through the forum and it is fantastic and really useful! What a great idea!

Lot 88 is the one on the northern boundary, corner lot. This is stage 2.

Given you are just coming in, you are probably spared of the difficulties encountered by those who purchased the lot during the Ballot (back in 2010).

That lot of yours is relatively flat, in my opinion your site cost should not be anymore than $10k (tops $15k, even that is too expensive). The thing with site cost is that it has inclusions of fall like 300mm. Certain builders have special discount on site costs but if your fall is less than 300mm, your site costs should only be influenced by the slab grade (P the most expensive, M1 should suffice and cheaper, M is the cheapest - Cost Zero if fall is <300mm), the Infrastructure Tax (Bracks/Brumbies' legacy) worth about $4k, and OH/S Tax worth about $3k.

Mirvac does give you a compaction report which will confirm the fall. Use this when going to a builder as many builders will try to make a buck out of site costs. In my opinion (and it's up to you), any offer to fix the site cost SHOULD BE refused especially on a flat land. I did with my builder and has saved $15,000 (I know this because there are others in this forum which are stung by the fixed cost of $25k).

Then the frontage. Those who purchased during the ballot were told 6 metres distance from street to front door (frontage?). However, a house in Cerise Street successfully went around the Covenant and made it 4 metres, thereby having bigger backyard. Insist on this as I know my neighbour is using this Cerise Street house as a basis of 4 metres frontage and there is nothing Mirvac can do about it to stop it.

Certain estate covenants can be done outside builder. Often builders charge 25% markup on things like water tank (I am a victim of this). If possible, have this done outside builder (and thus, post contract) but saves you money. A bit inconvenient I know.

My 2c

Regards

Zz

Hi All,

Been in the estate just over 1 month now, and settling into the house well. Had the fences complete, but need to get the driveway completed. Apart from all the dust and noise especially on a Saturday morning, its not too bad.

Just wanted to ask if people have had there assessment completed to get there $10K bond back? Also did anybody put in there Landscape request for Mirvac to complete before the 60 day deadline after Certificate of Occupancy has been granted?

I have gone past the 60 days and just wanted to know what other people have done, and have they missed out.

Gren

Hi Gren,

Who did you go to for the fencing and how much in approximate?

As for the COO, how would Mirvac know if you have been issued one anyway? I didn't think it matter.

I am in the middle of asking the Sales Coord of what is she requiring for the $10k bond to be returned.

Hi future-neighbours,

We are about to pay our deposit on the plot of land we have on hold. All your info on this forum has been so helpful in helping us make some decisions and estimating costs. We are Wanny Sth locals but this is our first ever build, so exciting times ahead.

Congrats to everone who has been through the process and moved in and helping us newbies learn from your experience.

Hi aasa1978,

We went to Rob Kuhne Fences and gates. Most people on the estate have used his service, and he produces an impressive fence. Cost will depend on how many retaining walls you need. As we only required 1 retaining wall, total cost was about $2500.

gren

Hi Team_W congrats on taking the big leap, we too are considering buying our land. I am thankfull for this forum lots of ideas and things to think about, has anyone built with Carlisle??? how are they comparing to PD. We are still negotiating. Any info would help.

Thx alot and all the best!!